Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi will come for his first official visit to Slovakia since he took office in May of 2006. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was on an official visit to Italy on October 3, 2006. The prime ministers will discuss deepening of mutual cooperation, but especially European Union (EU) topics, following the June summit. They will share their ideas on the international situation. The cabinet is to approve a plan for the Italian prime minister's visit on Wednesday and is also to confirm Mr. Fico's working visit to Croatia, where he will travel on Friday and Saturday of this week.
A report on the long-planned meeting of the Slovak and Hungarian Prime Ministers Robert Fico and Ferenc Gyurcsany will inform the cabinet that Mr. Fico appreciated the constructive approach of his Hungarian counterpart regarding the plans for the meeting. He expressed satisfaction with its realization, and with the opportunity to positively move common issues forward. He added that apart from the controversial case of the questioned attack on the ethnic Hungarian student Hedviga Malinova, nobody has reported any complaint of similar character in Slovakia. He stressed that legislation in this area is key, rather than statements by politicians, which accomplish nothing in comparison.
Mr. Fico admitted to Mr. Gyurcsany that it sometimes costs him a great deal of effort to restrain himself from making comments, but in that public statements he will be moderate and fair. "One is sensitive, feels vulnerable, and often reacts emotionally to whatever subject. Sometimes one sentence destroys several months' effort and work, because in politics, every uttered word counts." Mr. Fico also sometimes feels an urge to make a public statement, especially after hearing statements of some representatives of the opposition Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK). Therefore, in such situations, he suggests telephone consultation with his Hungarian partner. Mr. Fico also holds in high regard Mr. Gyurcsany's philosophy that bilateral relations cannot be narrowed down to questions of minorities only.
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